7 Days of Paradise
by the-freak-on-your-block
Summary: Dark makes a deal with a mysterious voice after his and Dai's separation. DaixDark Shounenai and slightly angsty.
1. Chapter 1

Freak: Hey, look! I'm writing another Dai/Dark fanfic! Surprise! I bet my readers have been thinking I'd completely forgotten about one of my favorite pairings, huh?

Dark: Not hardly.

Freak: You. Shut it.

Dai: Listen to her, Dark. Remember the last one she wrote with you in it? IT'S NOT FINISHED YET!

Freak: Hey, I just don't know how to continue it, yet. When I figure it out, I'll post the next chapter. I'm too high-strung when I think about KH2 coming at the end of the month to concentrate on a _fanfiction _about it. ; )

Dai: Right . . . I'll actually buy that.

Dark: I won't. I still haven't shown up in it . . .

Freak: Enough about that story! Here's the disclaimer.

Disclaimer: Any resemblances to any people, places or ideas in this fic are completely coi – intentional. Right, sorry. All the characters in this fic, save one of no importance, were used in this story without the permission or knowledge of their respective owners. Please don't sue me! The one OC in this story will "appear" later and disappear quietly.

Dai: That's a long one for you.

Freak/grin/ Yeah, so?

Key: **/'inside' thoughts/ **_flashback_

"So . . . Dark . . . you simply let him go? You let go of the one wonderful thing in your life?" Why did it sound familiar . . . ?

"No, no! I can't hear you! La-la-la-la-LA!" Although I was bound by chains, I managed to block out that _voice_. The one that's been taunting me since that day . . . The day I left Daisuke.

_**/Dark? Don't ever forget . . . I exist within you, too. I'll never forget you either./**_

The pain I'd felt at that moment was a bittersweet pain. Pain from being separated from my other half . . . and happiness that he'd finally get the life he deserved – a freedom I'd deprived him of.

"You _can_ hear me. Why did you let go of him, Dark? To give him freedom? Because you felt like a burden?"

"SH-SHUT UP! My reasons are my own!"

"If you won't give me a straight answer, I'll have to assume your replica (42) is right. What's his name again . . . ? Oh, yes. Krad. But, if you'd just answer my questions straight and honest, I might be tempted to make a deal with you."

"What deal?"

"I give you a body of your own. In order to keep it, you must steal the heart of your true love within 1 week."

"But – I don't even know who that is! That's just not _fair_!" I lied. I do know who my heart aches for – someone who I always thought of as just another fool of a host. Daisuke. _My_ Daisuke. The first host I ever had that cared about my opinions and feelings. But . . . I know he'd never fall for me. He has Riku, one of my favorite ladies. At least, she _was_ before she captured Daisuke's heart.

"You know who it is. The one you let go. Why did you let him go?" I finally reached my breaking point.

"BECAUSE HE'S NOT MINE! I left because that's what he wanted! Because . . . he has Riku . . ." I resisted the urge to cry. I couldn't handle not having my ex-tamer near anymore . . .

"Then steal him away from Ms. Harada. Isn't that what you do best . . . ? Steal things? You're the Phantom Thief Dark, remember?" . . . That's right. I had forgotten. I am the Phantom Thief. "Now, do we have a deal?"

"It's only a deal if both sides are getting something they want. What will you gain from me getting with Daisuke?"

"Satisfaction."

"Liar."

"I want to borrow your magic."

"What do you mean? Borrow my magic?" I was horrified. Who knows what this . . . _voice_ would do with my magic! And why borrow? For how long?

"If you cannot steal the heart of your true love within 7 days, you will return here with your magic. If you do steal his heart, you may keep the body, and you will get your power back. All I want is to borrow your magic for those 7 days. It will be returned – I don't want to keep it, as it's not mine. So, do we have a deal?"

"What do you want my magic for?" The voice was silent. I guess it wasn't going to answer my question. But . . . the deal was so tempting . . . I sighed. "Fine. We have a deal."

"Good."

Everything went black and cold.

TBC . . .

Dark: . . . That's it? YOU ARE EVIL, WOMAN!

Dai: Shut it, Dark! Quit stating the obvious!

Freak: He can't! It's in his nature. Sorry he's so OOC this chapter . . . but then again, we don't really know what Dark _thinks_ so it really doesn't matter that much . . . He'll be his cocky, perverted self next chapter, I promise.

(42) Watch the anime. Dark calls Krad a "replica" of himself in disc 3, episode 12.

Freak: BTW, if you're reading these DNAngel fanfics not knowing what DNAngel is or what it's about, I'M NOT GOING TO EXPLAIN! Excepting one wonderful author on the Inuyasha board whom I _asked_ to judge my stories even though she knows nothing about DNAngel, none of you readers should be reading fanfictions of DNAngel without having either read the manga or watching the anime. Or both. Okay, that's it. I'm done ranting now.


	2. Day 1

Freak: Goddamn, it feels like EONS since I've written something.

Dark: Cuz it HAS BEEN.

Dai: Can we move on?

Freak: Yeah, sure. Just lemme say something to my readers:

OMG I'M SO FREAKIN SORRY IT'S BEEN SO FREAKIN LONG SINCE I'VE UPDATED THE ROAD OF LIFE WAS LIKE, "HEY, I'M HERE TO INTERRUPT YOU!!" AND I WAS LIKE, "NO!!" AND IT MADE ME FORGET ALL ABOUT MY STORIES!!

Dai: (cleans his ears) Are you done now?

Freak: …Yeah.

Dark: the-freak-on-your-block does not own any part of the DNAngel franchise. Do not sue her, or this story will never be updated again.

Freak: Thank you. And, and, I do, in fact, own one rather unimportant OC. And, I guess, two other "OC"s that were mentioned in the mangas, but were never expanded upon. I own their portrayals, personalities, and looks, but not their names.

DAY 1: BEGIN

"…Dark?? Are you waking up or just blinking in your sleep?" Another familiar voice. This one, though…. It sounded…like…

"Risa? What --? Where--?"

"I could be asking the same thing, stupid." Risa growled at me. Growled! Seriously, I'd never heard that tone of voice directed at me before. "You dropped out of the sky when me and Daisuke were talking about Satoshi and Riku! I was actually managing to blackmail some gossip out of him!" Risa turned away, huffing angrily as she did so.

Wait. Riku and Satoshi??

"Er… I'm sorry? I couldn't control where I'm dropping when I'm being warped out of a 7th dimension of some sort." I looked her up and down, noticing how much older she was. I smirked "Though I can't say I'd argue about landing in such a pretty lady's home."

"Hmph. Whatever." Risa went to the door. "Hey, Dai! Dark's awake!" I heard a crash and some swearing before Daisuke appeared in the doorway. " He hasn't changed. He's still a pervert, just like Riku always said he was!" Hey! Don't cling to Daisuke like that! Seriously! Knock it off!

"That's nice, Risa." said Daisuke, prying her off of him. "Would you mind giving me some time alone with Dark? It's been a long time since we've last talked."

Instead of being insulted like she had been with me, Risa beamed up at Daisuke, looking like yer regular Little Miss Sunshine. Much to my horror. "Of course! I'll go down and make some tea! Oolong or Earl Grey, Dai?"

"It doesn't matter." He smiled peacefully at her. It… It disturbed me. Daisuke should not smile like that. Ever. It seemed so lonely. "You pick."

To my disgust, Risa squealed with delight. "Oh, you're such a sweetheart, Dai!! Oolong it is!!" Thankfully, she bounced out of the room. How had I put up with her before??

"…It's been awhile, Dark." Daisuke drew my eyes to him as he sat next to me in the chair previously occupied by the fan girl downstairs. "6 years, to be exact."

I was stunned. 6 years. 6 years?? It had been that long?! I was expecting maybe one year, but 6?? "Has it… really been that long?" was all I managed in the face of this information. It was hard for me to rebuild those walls of indifference I had always managed before. It almost seemed impossible.

"Yeah. A lot has changed. You shush. And I'll summarize the important bits of the time you've missed." All I could do was stare at Daisuke. Only now did I notice the shortness of his hair, his height, his strength… It seemed so surreal.

"Thanks, Dai." He grinned at me, a real grin. The one he used to give so freely. Was this what the voice meant by 'satisfaction'? That it didn't enjoy seeing such a sad Daisuke?

"Let's see… I guess the beginning would be a good place to start.

"Well, when you and Krad were sealed away, most of the seals on the Hikari artworks broke. But, they didn't just break. The artworks with pure intentions were freed first, then the ones in search of self-meaning. So far, none of the harmful artworks have broken free of their seals. Mom thought that maybe there was a spirit or some sort of wizard wandering around letting them loose, so she, Grandpa and Dad have been investigating the breaks really extensively. They've actually turned it into a business."

"Yeah, that sounds like Daichi. And Kosuke, too, really."

"Fer sure. Anyway, that's what the Niwas have been doing. 'Cept me, I'm a sidewalk painter now. I actually get a lot of business. …Granted, it helps that Satoshi advertises for me at those parties the police commissioner has to go to, but still.

"Riku and I… we broke up a couple years ago. After high school, we decided we just couldn't make it work. Too much personality tension, she said. Risa and Satoshi were together for awhile, but they broke up soon after because their studies got in the way."

"Studies?" I asked, genuinely interested. "What were they studying?"

"Eh? Satoshi is studying judicial law, and Risa is going after a degree in aeronautical engineering. She wants to go to an American school to finish her course. I think it was called MIT or some such. Apparently she's got a full-ride scholarship there that she can take advantage of starting next semester."

"That's cool. It's good they're trying to do something with their lives." I was rewarded for my first heartfelt statement of the day by a big smile on Daisuke's face. It made me feel like I was floating.

"I know. Isn't it?" he paused, clearing his throat. "On that note, Riku's studying computer programming. I think she wants to go into video games."

"Nice. And you?" I frowned a bit at his nervous laughter.

"Ah. Well… I haven't really decided yet. I'm just concentrating on the undergraduate stuff first… but… I dunno. I like sidewalk painting too much, I guess." I laughed a little, earning a confused look from him.

"That's cool, Dai. If you like sidewalk painting so much, don't stop." I grinned at him. "Gimme something nice to steal sometime, k?" I startled a laugh out of him.

"Well, if you insist!" The conversation degenerated into helpless laughter. Neither of us could stop, until Risa walked in with her tea tray.

"What's so funny? Are you two boys being perverted without me?"

I started laughing again, accompanied by a snort from Dai and a grin from Risa. "No," wheezed Daisuke, "We were talking about art theft."

"Well, that's nice. But I'm thinkin' that Dark should get some more rest soon. He looks kinda pale." Daisuke studied my face for the first time.

"Yeah. And he needs a haircut. It's almost as long as Krad's!"

END DAY 1. TBC…

Freak: Ok, this chapter is done.

Dark: Krad just appears so blatantly in this story?? The hell??

Dai: You'll find out next chapter. See you soon!


End file.
